Rectangular stainless steel or plastic mud pans of various sizes are used to hold joint compound during the drywall finishing process. Joint compound or mud pans are generally 10, 12, or 14 inches in length and 4½ inches wide at the top, and 3½ inches deep, having flat bottoms. These pans are used primarily during the drywall finishing process to hold joint compound while working.
There are many problems associated in working with these pans. For one, the pans are typically held for hours at a time during the work day which can be extremely uncomfortable to the holder. The pans are generally rectangular pans with no modifications for holding them other than holding the base of the container in the palm of a user's hand or by gripping one end of the pan while resting the remaining pan on the forearm. Accordingly, there is stress placed on the hand, wrist, and arm due to the unnatural position needed to hold and balance the pan. The resulting fatigue on the arm often causes cramping and could lead to the development of carpal tunnel syndrome by the user.
Therefore, an ergonomic container is needed.